Melkor / Morgoth
Morgoth (Sindarin: "Dark Foe"), formerly called Melkor (Quenya: "He who arises in might"), is the first Dark Lord and master of Sauron. Fanon Wiki Ideas So Far *'Abeloth vs Melkor' (Completed) * Cthulhu vs. Melkor Battle Record |-|Spoiler-Free= WARNING: The following tab will reveal the numbers of wins and losses for the following character. '''Read at your own risk.' |-|Spoiler= '''Battle Record' * Wins: 1 * Losses: 0 * Draws: 0 'Possible Opponents' * Alduin (Skyrim) * The Arisen (Dragon Dogma) * Bill Cipher (Gravity Falls) * Bowser (Super Mario Bros.) * Darkseid (DC) * Ganondorf (Legend of Zelda) * Isaac Ray Peram Westcott (Date a Live) * Shinnok (Mortal Kombat) History Creation era Ainulindalë Melkor was the first of the Ainur created by Eru Ilúvatar within the Timeless Halls, at the beginning of creation. He was the brother of Manwë, second greatest of the Ainur although Melkor was greater in power and knowledge than any of his brethren. He quickly grew impatient with the emptiness of the Great Void outside the Timeless Halls. Filled with a desire to create things of his own, outside the reach of Eru and the Timeless Halls, Melkor often went forth into the Void in search of the Flame Imperishable (Perhaps the Secret Fire or Flame of Anor). But, as the Flame was made of the essence of Eru and resided solely with him, and Melkor never discovered it. He continued to search, however, and as such grew into a loner, being often alone and apart from his fellow Ainur. It was during these extended periods, during which he was alone, consumed in his quest that Melkor began to have ideas and thoughts of his own that were not in accordance with his fellow Ainur. So it was that when the Ainur sang the Great Music before Eru, Melkor wove some of these strange and twisted thoughts into his music, and straightaway Discord arose around him. While Eru did not scorn creativity, it was better that one does not attempt to create, but instead sub-create, within the creation or Eru, as no one else held the power of the Flame Imperishable and could truly create. The power of Melkor's music made most give up on their song, yet some of those about Melkor attuned their music to him until two musical themes were warring before the Throne. To correct the Discord, Eru introduced the Second Theme into the music. But Melkor succeeded in spoiling once again the Second theme, of which his brother Manwë was the chief instrument. Then, however, Eru introduced a Third, even stronger Theme into the music. The Third Theme was the theme of Elves and Men, and while it was not overwhelmed by the Discord or the power of Melkor as the first two were, it too failed to correct it. Thus the Music can be analogized to war, with Melkor destroying the First and Second Theme/Army, with increasing difficulty, though being unable to best the third. Eru, seeing the Discord spreading, brought the Music to an end with a single note. Though He praised the strength of Melkor, He also rebuked him, reminding him that, as an aspect of his creator's thought, anything that Melkor could bring into being ultimately had its source within Eru Himself (See above). As such, even the Discord resulted, in the end, to the glory of Eru's work and perpetuation of His designs. This rebuke shamed Melkor and led to secret anger in him as well. Thus when the Music was made incarnate as Eä, it was already flawed through the Discord, with immoderate heat and great cold filling it. Melkor saw it and took an interest in Eä, for he desired to rule it, and descended into it with the other Valar. Arrival in Arda When the Valar entered into Arda they discovered it unformed, and thus began to shape its matter, Melkor saw the Field of Arda and claimed it for his own. However, the other Valar took Manwë to be their lord, as while Manwë was not nearly so powerful as Melkor, he understood the thought and designs of Eru better than any of his peers and was unconcerned with his own power. Manwë challenged Melkor's claim, and, bitter, Melkor set himself against the other Valar in the First War. When the Valar would make mountains, Melkor would flatten them; when they carved valleys, Melkor would raise them; when they made oceans, Melkor would spill them, etc. For a long while, Melkor fought alone against the might of all the other Ainur of Arda, and for a long time, he held the upper hand with his ancient might. During this long time, Arda was held essentially shapeless, as Melkor ruined nigh every work that the other Valar attempted to create. Eventually, however, and fortunately for the Valar, the mighty Ainu Tulkas eventually descended to Arda. His strength tipped the balance in favor of the Valar, and Melkor fled before him, and left Arda for a time. Years of the Lamps After Melkor's departure, the Valar managed to quiet the chaos of the world that had been wrought by him, and they set about ordering it in preparation for the coming of the Children of Ilúvatar: Elves and Men. To give light to the world, they constructed two Great Lamps of the Valar in Middle-earth and set their place of dwelling in the midst of them which the named Almaren. During this time, while the Valar lived in bliss, Melkor re-entered Arda with the various Maiar spirits who had attuned themselves to his music, such as the Balrogs and delved a mighty fortress at the very north-most part of the World, naming it Utumno. To defend it from the wrath of the Valar he raised the Mountains of the East in the northeast of Middle-earth, past the Sea of Helcar. In the far North decay arose, with beasts of tusk and ivory coming forth, and the Valar thus knew that Melkor had returned. Before they could find him, however, Melkor came forth from Utumno with sudden war and cast down the Lamps. The flame within the Lamps scorched all of Middle-earth, destroying Almaren, and containing the catastrophe caused by their breaking kept the Valar occupied long enough for Melkor and his forces to retreat to Utumno. After the destruction of the Lamps, the Valar withdrew to the continent of Aman where they built Valinor. However, in doing so, they gave Melkor virtually unlimited power in Middle-earth. The continent languished in darkness for many years, and Melkor filled it with monsters and phantoms that lure people into the domain of Melkor. With his conquest complete, Melkor set about defending his territories. He built a second, lesser fortress in the form of Angband to the West, as a defense should the Valar attack. Angband was delved into the Iron Mountains and was given to Melkor's greatest lieutenant, Sauron, to command. As the Valar were unsure where the Children of Ilúvatar would awake, they were reluctant to wage war against Melkor, for they had seen the destruction of the Two Lamps and feared the clash of powers might result in massive collateral damage the likes of which they had not seen since the first attack of Melkor. As such, most of them opted to remain in Valinor and forsook Middle-earth. Due to their uncertainty, Melkor discovered the Elves long before the other Valar, capturing many of them with his phantoms, and transformed them by torture and other foul craft into Orcs. Years of the Trees However, the existence of the Elves could not be kept secret forever, as some of the Valar, such as Yavanna and Oromë, still traveled to Middle-earth, When it was discovered by Oromë where the Elves were, and the wickedness of the creation of the Orcs, the Valar took immediate action against Melkor. Thus began the War for the sake of the Elves. The Valar overcame the hosts of Melkor with their massive armies, and he retreated into Utumno. After a long and grievous siege, the Valar rent the doors open. Than Melkor fought with Tulkas once more and was defeated, bound with the chain Angainor. He was then brought back to Valinor where he pleaded for pardon but nonetheless was cast into the Halls of Mandos for three Ages before he could plead once more. The haste of the Valar to overthrow Melkor worked against them, and the Valar left many of Utumno's pits and vaults unexplored, where Sauron remained at large. Additionally, they did not capture or destroy the Balrogs, who then gathered in the ruins of Angband and went into a long hibernation, awaiting their master's return. After his sentence had passed Melkor was brought before Manwë and feigned repentance. Being completely free of evil, Manwë was unable to comprehend the wickedness of Melkor and ordered him released. For a while, it seemed as though the darkness of Melkor had been cured, as many attested to his nature, and all who sought his counsel and aid in that time benefited greatly from it. However, both Tulkas and Ulmo were very slow to forget Melkor's evils, as Tulkas was known to be both slow to wrath and forgiveness, and they watched him closely. In truth now Melkor had become more filled with malice than ever before and began to put his extraordinary cunning and knowledge to use in devising a way to ruin Valinor. After seeing the bliss of the Elves and remembering that it was for their sake that he was overthrown and his kingdom destroyed, Melkor desired above all things to corrupt them. Of all the three primary groups of Elves (The Vanyar, Teleri, and Ñoldor), he found the Ñoldor to have the perfect balance of usefulness and open ears, and so he worked his malice almost exclusively among them. For many long years, he spread his lies concerning the intentions of the Valar in bringing the Elves to Valinor, and he spoke of, among other things, the coming of Men, the existence of which the Valar had not revealed to the Elves. Due to his carefully crafted lies, many of the Ñoldor thus began to believe that the Valar had brought them to Valinor so that Men might inherit Middle-earth, taking from them the lands and the glory that should have been theirs. Eventually, via the slow work of Melkor, a shadow fell upon the Ñoldor, and they even went so far as to openly rebel against the Valar. Chief among the disgruntled Noldor was Fëanor, the firstborn son of the king of the Ñoldor, Finwë. For although he hated and feared Melkor, his overwhelming hubris caused him to be the most vocal of the Ñoldor in expressing discontent. For a while, the Valar remained unaware of Melkor's work, and saw Fëanor as the source of the Ñoldor's unrest, and thus did Melkor work his malice. Though confused, they let the situation continue until Fëanor threatened his brother Fingolfin with violence, at which point the Valar were forced to summon him to the Ring of Doom to explain his unlawful actions. Fëanor's testimony revealed the lies and trickery of Melkor (Though he was banished himself for 12 years due to his part in the violence), and Tulkas, given his mistrust of Melkor in the first place, immediately left the Ring of Doom to recapture him. But Melkor could not be found, for he had fled Valinor. After a time, Melkor went to Formenos and feigned friendship to Fëanor to acquire the Silmarils, saying that Melkor's prediction was right: Fingolfin did end up with the throne. But Fëanor, seeing Melkor's greed, refused him and, in anger, shut the doors of Formenos in the face of Arda's mightiest being. Melkor then passed unseen to the South and came upon the enormous spider Ungoliant. Presenting her two beautiful jewels for her to consume, and promising to sate her unrelenting hunger, he earned her loyalty. The two of them came back to Valinor, intending to destroy the Trees. Then, in the midst of a time of great festival (And hidden under her web of shadow), Melkor and Ungoliant suddenly attacked. Melkor thrust a great spear into the Trees and Ungoliant drank the sap that poured from the wounds, draining the Two Trees and poisoning them. They quickly withered and died, plunging Valinor into complete darkness for a time. In the fear and confusion that followed, Melkor sped to Formenos and broke into the fortress. There, he slew Finwë, father of Fëanor (Who had been invited to the festival), and stole the Silmarils along with all the other gems that lay there. The Silmarils burned Melkor's hand, causing him immeasurable pain, but he did not release them. He and Ungoliant fled to the North, and the Valar gave chase, but the "Unlight" of Ungoliant bewildered them, and the two escaped. The two thieves crossed the Grinding Ice of the Helcaraxë and entered into Middle-earth, completing the revenge of Melkor. In Lammoth, Melkor and Ungoliant approached the ruins of Angband, for Melkor hoped to escape, leaving his promise to feed Ungoliant unfulfilled. Ungoliant however, saw through his plan and stopped him before they reached the fortress Angband. She demanded that he surrender the treasure of Formenos to sate her hunger as he had promised, and begrudgingly he gave her the lesser treasures he had taken, but he would not give her the Silmarils which lay hidden within his right hand. Enraged Ungoliant attacked Melkor, for he had promised to give her the jewels freely of both hands, weaving her dark webbing about him. His resulting cry of pain and anguish roused the Balrogs from their slumber in the darkest depths of Angband, as well as shattered the rocks in Lammoth. With a tempest of fire they came to his aid and drove away Ungoliant, but Melkor recalled them, and thus Ungoliant escaped. He then began to rebuild Angband and to gather his servants there. When Fëanor found his father slain and his jewels stolen, he cursed Melkor and named him Morgoth, meaning "Dark Foe," and by that name was he known ever after. The name Melkor was never spoken again by his enemies. First Age In Beleriand Fëanor followed Morgoth to Middle-earth, along with the greater part of the Ñoldor in an act of rebellion, hoping to recover the Silmarils. This action triggered the tragic War of the Great Jewels, during which the elves would be utterly defeated in the end (As foretold by the doom of Mandos). Upon learning of the arrival of the Ñoldor in Middle-earth, Morgoth sent armies of Orcs to defeat Fëanor's host, hoping to destroy them before they could establish any workable defenses. Though the Ñoldor were outnumbered, they swiftly and destroyed the orcs; only a handful returned to Angband. However, Fëanor, in his pride and arrogance, thought to come at Morgoth himself and to that purpose pursued them. Soon, he and his vanguard traveled far ahead of the main host, and the Orcs, seeing this, turned and gave battle at the gates of Angband. Due to how close the where to Angband, some Balrogs emerged to aid the orcs, and the elves with Fëanor were quickly slain. Fëanor fought on alone but was eventually defeated by Gothmog, the Lord of the Balrogs. Though a relief force under the command of his sons saved him from being killed on the field of battle, the wounds he had suffered were mortal, and he perished soon after, the flame of his spirit burning his body as he died. Soon after Fëanor's death, Morgoth sent an embassy to the Noldor offering terms of surrender, even promising a Silmaril. Maedhros agreed to the meeting, but both sides, expecting treachery, came with greater force than was approved. Unfortunately for the Elves, Morgoth's might was still the greater of the two, and his army was accompanied by Balrogs. The Elven company was quickly slain, albeit with the exception of Fëanor's son, Maedhros, who was captured and chained by his right hand to one of Thangorodrim's many cliffs. However, the Elves knew that Morgoth would not honor his word, and sent no reply. It was at this time that the host of Fingolfin, which had been betrayed and abandoned by Fëanor's host in Aman, came at last to Middle-earth. Tension between the two hosts quickly developed and Morgoth, seeing that the Noldor were divided, made plans to destroy his distracted foes. To his dismay, however, the Valar revealed the creation of the Sun and the Moon, which confounded Morgoth and his servants for a time. To counter these new lights, Morgoth sent up nigh-impenetrable clouds of smoke from the Iron Mountains to darken Hithlum. During the time of confusion and inaction among Morgoth's forces by these new lights, Fingon traveled to Angband, aided by the very darkness Morgoth had set upon Hithlum and rescued Maedhros. In doing so, he set into motion a series of events that united the Noldor and allowed them to establish mighty kingdoms in Beleriand and Hithlum. When Morgoth initiated his next offensive, the Ñoldor swiftly and utterly destroyed his forces and set a siege upon Angband, hoping to contain the evil of Morgoth forever. When he had waited many years, Morgoth made trial of his foes, causing the Iron Mountains to erupt and sending an army of orcs down through the passes, but to no avail, for the orcs were easily defeated by the Noldor. After this failure, Morgoth took to capturing what elves he could, breaking them with the power of his will and chaining their lives to his. These Elves became his spies among the Ñoldor, and they kept him appraised of the movements and plans of his enemies. One hundred years later, Morgoth sent an army into the north to approach Hithlum from the side, but an army under the command of Fingon destroyed them yet again. At this point, Morgoth came to realize that the orcs unaided were no match for the Ñoldor, and began experimenting with ways to create deadlier creatures for his armies. Another century passed, and the issuing of the first dragon, Glaurung, demonstrated the results of Morgoth's long labor. Glaurung's sudden appearance scattered the elves near Angband, but a company of archers under Fingon's command engaged him before he could do much more than frighten the elves. As Glaurung was barely half-grown, his hide was not yet invulnerable to the elven arrows, and he fled the field. Morgoth was displeased with Glaurung for revealing himself before his creator had planned, but ultimately Glaurung's youthful foray was of little consequence. Sometime later, when men first arrived in Beleriand, it was revealed that Morgoth had left Angband and walked among the fathers of men. Hoping to corrupt them to his service, he spread his lies among them and found them to be considerably easier to sway than the elves had been. However, the strengthening of the elven kingdoms worried Morgoth, and he returned to Angband before his labors were complete. Nevertheless, most Men believed or half-believed his lies and either departed from the North or joined with Morgoth's forces. However, a small group of men that became known as the Edain resisted him. They provided the elves with vital intelligence as to the doings of Morgoth in the North, as many of their hardiest chose to live within sight of Angband's gates. Dagor Bragollach About 455 years after Fingolfin came to Middle-earth, Morgoth deemed that the time was ripe to destroy the elves and their allies. One cold winter night, when the elven watch was least vigilant, Morgoth sent forth terrible rivers of fire and lava from Thangorodrim and poisonous fumes from the Iron Mountains. The Elves were utterly unprepared for such an assault, and a great many Ñoldor perished on the Ard-galen, as the fires consumed it and transformed it into a lifeless wasteland, forever after known as the Anfauglith. In the wake of these fires there came Glaurung, now fully grown, the Balrogs, and armies of orcs and other monsters in numbers such as the elves had never conceived of the existence. Thus began the Dagor Bragollach. The Siege of Angband was swiftly broken, and the forces of the elves were scattered. So sudden and overwhelming was Morgoth's assault that the various Elven kingdoms were unable to marshal their troops in any form of unified front, and as such Morgoth was able to engage the Elven forces in a piecemeal fashion, greatly blunting the effectiveness of any resistance. Except for Maedhros and his fortress upon the Hill of Himring, the sons of Fëanor and Finarfin were overthrown and utterly defeated. Fingolfin and Fingon only just barely managed to defend Hithlum from Morgoth's onslaught, as the mountains surrounding it provided an effective barrier against Morgoth's fires. The elves were wholly and utterly cast out of the forests of Dorthonion, and many of the grey elves forsook the war altogether and went to Doriath. When news came to Fingolfin of the totality of the disasters that had befallen the Elven forces, a terrible despair came upon him. Believing the Noldor to have been defeated beyond any hope of recovery, he rode forth alone from Hithlum to the gates of Angband in a wrath so potent that he was said to have resembled Oromë himself. When he arrived, he smote upon the doors of Morgoth's fortress, challenging the Dark Lord to come forth to single combat. Though Morgoth did not wish to, Fingolfin's challenge was heard by all in Angband, and was given in such an insulting manner that to ignore it would have been to lose face before his captains. Morgoth issued forth in black armor from Angband to confront Fingolfin. Wielding the terrible hammer Grond, Morgoth repeatedly attempted to smite the Elven king but succeeded only in carving many fiery pits in the ground from his missed strikes. Fingolfin long managed to avoid Morgoth's blows and wounded the Dark Lord seven times. But at last, Fingolfin grew weary, and Morgoth thrice drove him to his knees. Fingolfin arose each time to continue the fight, but eventually, he fell backward into one of the many pits formed by Morgoth's missed attacks. Morgoth then set his foot upon Fingolfin's neck and killed him, but not before Fingolfin, with his last stroke, hewed Morgoth's foot with his sword. Then Morgoth broke the elf's body and prepared to feed it to his wolves. But Thorondor, the King of the Eagles, swooped down upon Morgoth, marring his face with his talons, and rescued the body of the elf-king. Fingolfin's last stroke gave Morgoth a permanent limp, and the pain of his seven wounds could not be mended, nor were the scars ever erased. However, despite his mighty victory, Morgoth had made a critical mistake. So great had been his malice and his desire to destroy the elves that he had struck before his plans were fully achieved, and in his hatred and contempt, he had underestimated the resolve and bravery of his foes. Now Morgoth found that the elves and Edain, recovering from the initial shock of his onslaught, had begun to make small gains against his outlying forces. He, therefore, checked his advance and withdrew the main host of the orcs to Angband. For though he knew that his victory had been relatively decisive, his own losses had been as numerous as the losses that had been accrued by the elves. Afterwards, Morgoth sent out many spies, and he sent messengers to men, feigning pity. When the Edain refused his false offers of peace; he summoned the Easterlings over the Blue Mountains to harass them militarily. Seven years passed before Morgoth renewed his offensive. He assailed Hithlum with vast strength, but just as he was on the verge of victory, Círdan and a host under his command came at the last moment and helped Fingon to turn the orcs back. The Quest of the Silmaril Sometime later, the Elven-maiden Lúthien and her human lover Beren, seeking to recover a Silmaril, came disguised to Morgoth's court. Morgoth was able to see through her disguise, but she was undaunted by his eyes and offered to sing for him. As she sang, Morgoth conceived a lust and an evil more abominable than any he had yet committed and allowed her to continue singing. But as he delighted in his thought, suddenly shadow hid her, and she sang a song of great and terrible power that cast a spell of sleep. All Morgoth's court was cast down in slumber by her song, but the Silmarils burned and became so heavy that the head of Morgoth sagged upon his chest. He fell from his throne, the Iron Crown rolled away from him, and Beren cut a Silmaril from it. However, rather than leaving immediately with his prize, he tried to take another of the Silmarils. However, as Beren attempted to pry the second jewel loose, his knife snapped. One shard struck Morgoth's face, and he began to awaken. Beren and Lúthien fled in terror but were not followed, as Morgoth and his court had not yet woke. However, at the gates of Angband the werewolf Carcharoth was aware of them, and later bit off Beren's hand, and took with it the Silmaril. Burning from the inside at the touch of the sacred jewel, Carcharoth went mad and fled in wrath from Angband, slaughtering all who stood in his path. Then Morgoth awoke, and in a fury he and his court roared up in pursuit, only to see Thorondor carrying off the raiders. Morgoth's rage at the loss of the Silmaril caused the Iron Mountains to begin erupting, terrifying all those who could see it. Ultimately, however, he was unable to recover the gem. Nirnaeth Arnoediad Soon after, Morgoth became aware that Maedhros was making a great league against him, and driving his orcs off the northern heights. As such, he took council against them and prepared his forces for a major confrontation. When the elves eventually made it to Angband, the Battle of Nirnaeth Arnoediad began. Ultimately, the battle was a complete and decisive victory for Morgoth. The power of the elves and their Edain compatriots to make war against Morgoth was utterly and permanently broken. All of the great kingdoms of the Noldor in Beleriand besides Gondolin, were destroyed, and Hithlum was at last taken as well. Easterlings enslaved the Edain who did not flee, and Húrin was taken captive. The Cursing of Húrin Morgoth was also well known for the imprisonment of Húrin of the House of Hador during the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. In the last hours of the battle, Húrin and his kin defended Turgon, for he was the last heir to the thrones of Gondolin and Fingolfin after his brother Fingon fell in battle. Turgon narrowly escaped the clutches of the host of orcs due to the bravery of Húrin, Huor, and their men. Unfortunately, all but Húrin fell after the onslaught of Morgoth's forces. After slaying untold numbers of trolls and orcs single-handedly, Húrin was captured by Gothmog and taken to Angband. Morgoth knew that Húrin had been to Gondolin, and therefore knew the city's location. He sought to extract the information from him but, despite inflicting terrible torment upon his captive, he was unsuccessful. From a distance, Morgoth put the son and daughter of Húrin, Túrin, and Nienor, under a species of diabolic oppression: His thought followed them and gave them bad luck, though they were not possessed. By this means he drove them at last to madness and despair; though there is doubt as to whether in the extremity of his malice he cheated himself, as their madness saved them from damnation. Then, continuing his curse, he said: And so Húrin stayed and was chained atop Thangorodrim, watching his homelands fall under the shadow of Morgoth until he released him. Túrin, who was valiant and powerful, nearly escaped the curse, as feared by Morgoth, but in the end, did not. He and his sister Nienor Níniel perished. Thus, the curse of Morgoth on the Children of Húrin was fulfilled. Fall of Gondolin It was said that Morgoth hated and feared the House of Fingolfin the most of the three Houses of the sons of Finwe, and he feared most Fingolfin's son Turgon, as it was prophesied that from the House of Turgon would his doom come. Following Turgon's escape from the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, Morgoth sought to find and destroy the last of the free kingdoms of the Noldor; Gondolin, where Turgon resided. Though he had been unable to force Húrin to reveal the location of the last great elven kingdom, Morgoth eventually captured Maeglin, sister-son of Turgon, the King of Gondolin. Threatened with unimaginable torment, Maeglin offered the secrets of Gondolin's defenses in exchange for his own well-being. Additionally, he made a promise to kill Tuor personally and was permitted by Morgoth to take Idril for himself. Having lusted after Idril for decades, Morgoth's offer secured Maeglin's loyalty, and he became the Dark Lord's willing servant. After learning all he could from Maeglin, Morgoth sent him back to Gondolin to aid the invasion from within when the time came. Soon after, Morgoth assailed Gondolin, the last vast realm of the Ñoldor. With Maeglin's treacherous information, Morgoth's forces advanced upon city nearly undetected, during a time of festival and over the mountains where the watch was least vigilant. By the time the elves realized their peril, the city had been beleaguered without hope by Morgoth's overwhelmingly superior forces and quickly fell. With the Sacking of Gondolin and the defeat of the Noldor and their allies, Morgoth's triumph was complete. The great kingdoms of the elves had all fallen, save for the Havens of Cirdan and the survivors at the Mouths of Sirion, which were ruled by Eärendil, and Morgoth esteemed them as nothing. He even came to care nothing for the Silmaril that had been taken from him and laughed when he saw the last and the cruelest kinslaying when the Sons of Feanor destroyed the dwelling at Arvernien. Final defeat However, Morgoth's triumph was relatively short-lived. Persuaded by Eärendil to take pity on the Elves and Edain, the Valar once again took up arms against Morgoth's tyranny. Unable to understand compassion, Morgoth did not expect that the Valar would ever help the Ñoldor after the terrible sins they had committed and did not foresee the assault from Aman. But the Valar mustered their forces, and a great battle began between Morgoth and the Host of Valinor. Morgoth emptied all of Angband, and his devices and engines and armies of slaves were so various and powerful that the fighting spilled across all Beleriand. In the end, Morgoth's forces were utterly defeated. The Balrogs were destroyed, save some few that fled and hid in the caverns at the very roots of the earth, and the orcs were slaughtered. Then Morgoth quailed, and dared not come forth himself, but he had one last weapon at his command: the monstrous Winged Dragons. From out of the pits of Angband they issued, and so sudden and ruinous was their attack, with great power and a tempest of fire, that they drove back the host of the Valar. But then Eärendil came with Vingilot, accompanied by Thorondor and all the great birds, and Eärendil slew Ancalagon The Black, whose great bulk fell upon the towers of Thangorodrim, breaking them in his ruin. Morgoth was utterly defeated and stood at bay but was yet not valiant. He fled into the deepest of his mines and sued for peace and pardon, but his feet were hewn from under him, and he was cast upon his face. He was bound with the chain Angainor, his Iron Crown was beaten into a collar for his neck, and he was thrust through the Door of Night into the Timeless Void. The two remaining Silmarils were recovered from him, though shortly after that they were again lost. Dagor Dagorath Even after his death, Melkor's lies, sowed as they where in the hearts of Elves and Men, spawned a seed that did not die and could not be destroyed. Sauron, his most powerful servant and trusted, remained loyal to his master's memory (Or at least pretended to). After his first defeat during the Second Age, Sauron was held prisoner in Numenor for many years, but managed to corrupt the king, Ar-Pharazôn, and several of his followers, into worshiping Melkor as a god. He is prophesied to return during Dagor Dagoroth. Here he will destroy the Sun and Moon, and do battle with the Valar. Then Tulkas would cast him to ground and Túrin Turambar would slay him, avenging the house of Húrin and all Men. And the Children of Ilúvatar would sing with the Ainur a new world, of which not even the Valar know. Death Battle Info Appearance At the beginning of time, Melkor was a spirit being of unsurpassed beauty. Like the rest of the Valar, when he arrived in Arda, Melkor selected a physical shape for himself. At that time, he apparently looked like a huge, dark man, his “dark tyrant” form. Now, like the rest of the Valar, Melkor is a spirit being and does not have a specific body, but more or less a shape that he wears, almost like a suit of clothes. The “body” of Melkor can be injured or even killed, but like the later wizards, his spirit self cannot be slain. When Melkor battled Fingolfin, he suffered an injury to the foot that left him with a limp that stayed with him thereafter, and Thorondor, the King of the Eagles, permanently scarred his face. Melkor normally stays in his fortress, but when he has appeared, he is clothed in black armor, carrying a black shield, and Grond, the Hammer of the Underworld. Background *'Age:' Transcends linear time. His physical form is hundreds of thousands of years old. *'Species:' Ainu (Vala) formerly. *'Place of birth:' The Timeless Halls *'Alignment:' Chaotic evil Weapons and Equipment * Black spear - Morgoth wields a massive black spear. This weapon appears to be incredibly sharp, perhaps even poisonous, as it was able to pierce the Two Trees and drain their light. * Black armor - Morgoth wields a massive, indomitable suit of armor. This suit is huge and black, the size of a "tower." It does, however, have its limits, as Fingolfin was able to breach. ** Black shield - Morgoth also wields a black,"unblazoned," shield. He used this to bash Fingolfin to the ground three times. * Grond - Grond is Morgoth's massive hammer,"The hammer of the Underworld." Given that Underworld was another name for Utumno, this was likely forged their, perhaps by one of the Maiar of Aulë under Melkor's control(Perhaps even Sauron). * The Silmirals - The Silmirals are the three great gems of Fëanor. They where awe inspiring in their beauty yet wielding a terrible power. They likely fed Morgoth's power, as they did Carcharoth's, yet because of their hollowed nature they caused him great pain. They burned his hands and bowed the Iron Crown within which they where held. ** Cosmic power - The Silmirals together held the full power of the Two Trees. The fruit of Laurelin, the golden tree, each held as much power as the Sun, if not more, as the one that made the Sun was from a weakened and dying Laurelin. Teleperion, the silver tree, produced the light needed to make every star in the universe. The power of the Silmirals seemed to feed whoever wielded them, but also cause them great pain if they are wicked (See Carcharoth). *** Holy aura - The Silmirals were hollowed by Varda and thus possessed a holy power. This power could be used in many ways. For example, it amplified that beauty of Lúthien. Sadly, Beren and Lúthien's bodies were consumed by its power and they died. *** Illusion banishment - The power of the Silmirals can be focused into a massive power, undoing illusions, such as the Griddle of Melian (See Carcharoth). ** Protection - The Silmirals are holy objects that protect their wearer from evil. Unfortunately, as Melkor is a creature of evil, this power only causes him harm. Attributes *'Durability ratings:' At least Multiversal (Melkor survived an attack from Eru. Not an attack meant harm, but an attack nonetheless. He also endured the chaos of the Music, which contained all creation: The material universe, Mandos, the Realm of Dreams, the Unseen World and possibly others). Universal as Morgoth (Took hits from all other Valar combined). *'Strength ratings:' At least Multiversal (Melkor corrupted the Anulindalë, which contained many universe, and fought the collective power of the Valar). Universal as Morgoth (Performed a similar feat, albeit on a universal, rather than multiversal scale). *'Dexterity ratings (Speed):' Melkor existed in a world beyond space, and speed did not apply to him. Massively FTL+ as Morgoth (He was faster than Ancalagon, who could keep pace with Eärendil on Vingilot, a ship that can travel through the sky). *'Constitution rating (Endurance):' Infinite. Inhumanely high as Morgoth. He took hits from Fingolfin; the energies of the Silmirals; the attacks of Throndor, and his legs being slashed. *'Intelligence ratings:' Nigh-Omniscient (Melkor had a share in all concepts and would thereby have a share in all knowledge of them). Inhumanely high as Morgoth (Knows more than Gandalf and remembers some of his ancient knowledge) *'Wisdom ratings:' Very high. Unknown as Morgoth (Knows the future, although is consumed in his own darkness and twisted designs, being unable to understand good) *'Charisma ratings:' Extremely high (Being the first and wisest of the Ainur, he commands great respect). Very low as Morgoth (Though he is feared, he has very little real charisma). Abilities *'Shield bash:' Morgoth can use his shield tp bash his opponents to the ground. He used this strategy to attain victory in his fight with Fingolfin, hurling him to the ground three times. *'Greatest of the Ainur:' As the first and greatest of the Ainur Morgoth is far above his brethren. He posses a share in all their power, thus having all of their powers to a lesser degree. He is thereby a sort of jack-of-all-trades. **'Healing (Power of Estë):' Estë was the Vala charged with tending to the hurt an weary, and as such it is very likely that her magic is connected to healing and tending. Further supporting this is how she and her servants could preserve a corpse's appearance indefinitely. **'Telepathy (Power of the Istari):' The Istari can keep in telepathic contact with allies, gain information from the minds of others, detect and resist mental compulsion (Such as that used by Sauron, or Saruman's corruption of Théoden), and even dominate the minds of others. They can also intimidate others, causing thhmselves to appear gigantic and threatening to others. *'Corruption:' Morgoth can corrupt anything, slowly twisting it into something dark and profane. Certain elements seem harder to drain the power from; water is almost invulnerable to his corruption, whereas gold can be twisted to darkness very easily (Hence the One Ring being made of gold). This grew so severe that it is said all of Arda is Morgoth's ring. **'Power absorption:' Morgoth can "sap" the power out of anything, consuming it and turning it into something dark. He seems to be able to absorb the energy of light, though it causes him great pain (See the Silmarils) *'Creation:' Morgoth can create knew things within Arda, however, he cannot grant them souls, instead only twisting the creations of others. However, he can create knew, souless things, such as Dragons or dark spirits (See below). *'Dark Lord:' Morgoth is a massive and terrifying Dark Lord. As such he has several powers related to darkness and evil. He uses these powers during the War of the Great Jewels to help defeat the Elves and Edain. His mere presence is terrifying and awe inspiring. **'Volcanoes:' Morgoth can force volcanoes to erupt, creating massive waves of lava and fire. He used this power to attain victory in the infamous Dagor Bragollach. In that famous battle he caused Thangorodrim to bleck forth fire and smoke, killing many Elves and Edain. **'Storms:' Morgoth can create massive storms of ash and smoke to shroud the presence of his armies and sow confusion among his enemies. His servant, Sauron, later used this ability to hide the Sun and ease the passing of his armies **'Shadow:' Morgoth can create shrouds of darkness, similar to his storms, to hide the presence of his armies and intimidate his enemies. He used this to create a layer of darkness over the home of the Atani (Men) in an effort to convince them to serve him. **'Terrible aura:' As Dark Lord, Morgoth is surrounded by an aura of fear and dread. This is unsurprising given his nature as mountainous giant, clad in black armor. He is also sorounded by an aura of unnatural terror, like that of the Balrogs. **'Godlike strength:' Morgoth has incredible strength and endurance, having survived blows from Fingolfin and rent massive pits in the ground. He was so massive that his blood could fill even these pits andwas described as smoking. *'True form:' As on of the Ainur, Morgoth posses a vastly more powerful true form. In this true form he posses far stronger abilities, transcending linear time and having the power to warp concept and physical laws. **'Ainulindalë:' To unleash his conceptual power, Morgoth (Known as Melkor at the time) most take part in the Ainulindalë, the song that brought the world into being. Here his voice allows him to change the rules of reality, creating and destroying physical laws and pocket universes. *'Powers of the Ainur:' As a the strongest Valar, Melkor has access to wide variety of potent and devastating supernatural abilities, for the Ainur (The Valar specifically) were created as elemental spirits, and each have divine authority and absolute control over a certain aspect of nature. Each and every one of the Ainur is also able to manipulate magical energies and reality to serve their needs, and take any form they wish, even intangible and non-corporeal spiritual forms. Given he is a Vala (And the strongest of them no less), above any of the Maiar, there is no doubt he can use all of the basic Ainur powers. **'Shapeshifting:' Morgoth can change his for to appear both pleasing and terrifying. During his fight with Fingolfin, he appeared as a terrible Dark Lord, while he appeared pleasing when he met with the first Men. **'Elemental manipulation:' As one of the Ainur, beings who are foremost elemental spirits, Morgoth has great control over said elements. Each of the Maiar have varying control over a sub-element, whereas the Valar have full control over a true element. Melkor, however, has a share in the power of all Valar. ***'Life and death manipulation:' It seems that Morgoth has great control over life and death; far greater than all other Valar. Examples of this can be seen when he cursed Húrin to never die, and twisted the Elves to give life to the Orcs. This may be connected to his nature as the first and greatest of the Ainur (See above). **'Foresight/Hindsight:' As one of the Ainur, Morgoth can see the past and future. Given his nature as leader of the dark powers and his part in the War of the Great Jewels, this ability should be very useful for him. **'Spirit form:' As one of the Valar, it was highly likely that Melkor had the typical Ainur ability to cast off his physical form like a snake shedding its skin, and take on an intangible and non-corporeal spiritual form. In this spiritual state, the Ainur can travel forward and backward in time (Though they are unable to affect the future or the past, only see it). Though, it is possible that Melkor lost this ability after becoming Morgoth. Of the Ainur's spirit forms and precognitive powers this was said: Spells *'Spellcraft:' Spellcraft is not an official term, yet rather the best term to capture the art of creating spells via potions and metals. Examples of spellcraft include the plantiri, magical stones crafted in Valinor; Durin's door, an ithildin door crafted by Celebrimbor; the Rings of Power, magic rings that grant invisibility to those who use them, which where crafted by the Elves of Eregion and the Silmirals, magic jewels crafted by Feanor. Spellcraft can be used to manipulate objects and give them special properties, making them far more potent in combat. Most Elven swords appear to have magical qualities. Spellcraft usually revolves around using and/or creating magical substances runes and other, more obscure forms of magic. Being one of the Ainur, and a sorcerer himself, this should not be beyond the reach of Morgoth's magic. **'Catoptromancy:' Catoptromancy, or mirror magic, is the practice of enchanting an object so that it can be used to give the user clairvoyance or precognition. This was used by Galadriel to enchant her mirror to allow her to see the past, present and future, presumably via spellcraft. Being a skilled sorcerer Morgoth should be more than capable using this power. *'Dark magic:' Morgoth is a sorcerer and practitioner of dark magic, likely having invented it along with Sauron. He almost certainly posses the powers of Sauron, and is confirmed to wield magic such as the creation and control of dark spirits (See below). **'Necromancy:' Necromancy in Lord of the Rings is very vaguely defined. All that is known of it is that it is practiced by Sauron (Hence his title the Necromancer) and likely by Morgoth. However, given the existence of undead in LOTR, necromancy probably still has the classic definition of resurrecting the dead and using death-related magic. ***'Dark spirits:' Morgoth posses the power to create dark spirits, such as the ones he summoned against Tilion. There have also been cases of sorcerers like Morgoth creating and/or controlling barrow wights; terrifying spirits that haunt the barrow downs. In all likelihood this is an application of necromancy. **'Control over the Unseen World:' The Unseen World, also known as the wraith-world, is a parallel universe in which wraiths and spirits reside. To enter the wraith-world requires one to bring apportion of their essence into it, such as via the use of Rings of Power. Those who enter the wraith-world become invisible, and it is possible that if they brought the entirety of their essence into it, they would become completely intangible. Morgoth almost certainly has great control over it, perhaps even creating it. *'Cursing:' Morgoth can curse his enemies to doom and despair, such as when he cursed the house of Húrin to despair and darkness. However, eventually, this backfired on him, leading to his death by the hands of Húrin's son, Túrin. Though, whether this was an act of revenge or a direct result of the curse is unknown. Feats Morgoth *''Created a tempest of fire that drove back Eonwe.'' *''Caused volcanic eruptions.'' *''Summoned dark spirits to defeat Tilion.'' *''His foot was as heavy as a small hill.'' *''Blocked out the Sun.'' *''Terrified the entire race of Man.'' *''Rent massive pits in the ground.'' *''Was so massive his blood filled those pits.'' *''Bashed Fingolfin to the ground three times.'' *''Raised mountain ranges.'' *''Cursed Húrin so that he may never leave his chair, and had to watch the misfortune of his house.'' *''Cursed the house of Húrin to misfortune and death.'' *''Granted Sauron enough power to surpass Eonwe.'' *''Even at his weakest he was only slightly weaker than Sauron at his strongest.'' *''All of Arda is Morgoth's ring.'' *''His scream of pain was so loud that it could be heard in Angband all the way from Lammoth, and shattered rocks.'' *''He was still the strongest Vala, including Varda, who created the stars, and Ulmo, who controlled all of space.'' Melkor *''Maintained the upper hand over all the Valar combined, as well as most of the Maiar.'' *''Spilled oceans.'' *''Raised valleys.'' *''Destroyed mountain ranges.'' *''Cast down the Two Lamps, each of which where taller than Taniquetil (A mountain so high you can see the entire world from it).'' *''The destruction of the Two Lamps ravaged the entire world, yet Melkor was unharmed even by the tremendous chaos.'' *''Appeared as "...a mountain that wades in the sea, and has its head above the clouds, and is clad with ice and crowned with smoke and fire, and the light of the eyes of Melkor was like a flame that whithers with heat and pierces with a deadly cold."'' *''Destroyed the Sun and Moon during Dagor Dagoroth.'' *''At his strongest even Tulkas could not best him (As seen in Dagor Dagoroth), and required he presumably be weakened before he could.'' True form *''Existed in a realm without Discord, and was able to comprehend it.'' *''Created the concept of Discord in the Anulindalë.'' *''Existed beyond linear time and the physical universe.'' *''The greatest and "oldest" of the Ainur.'' *''Was able to match the collective power of all the Ainur.'' *''Corrupted the First Theme of the Anulinadalë in what amounts to universal destruction.'' *''His music was so loud many gave up their own during the Anulindalë.'' *''Corrupted the Second Theme of the Anulinadalë, which was stronger than the First, in what likely amounts to multiversal destruction.'' *''Was able to match the collective power of the Ainur that was bound in the Third Theme of the Anulindalë.'' *''Stood in the midst of the War of Music that enveloped the Timeless Halls and was unharmed, even during the Third Theme.'' *''Was unharmed by the ending of the Third Theme of the Anulindalë, an action performed by Eru Ilúvatar himself.'' 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